This latest development in Ryan Nemeth’s lawsuit against AEW, Tony Khan, and CM Punk highlights AEW’s attempt to maintain confidentiality regarding talent contracts.
Nemeth initially filed the lawsuit in February, alleging assault, breach of contract, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and intentional interference with prospective advantage. He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, along with a jury trial.
In an update reported by Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics.com, AEW has filed a petition to have Nemeth’s talent contracts sealed and to move the lawsuit to private arbitration. The company argues that making the contract terms public would cause “irreparable harm” to its business by exposing confidential financial details to competitors.
AEW’s filing states:
“Any public interest in obtaining access to the terms of the Agreements is outweighed by AEW’s legitimate interests in maintaining the confidentiality of the contractual relationship at issue. Moreover, maintaining confidentiality of the terms between AEW and its Wrestlers and former Wrestlers, such as Respondent, is essential for AEW to remain competitive in the wrestling industry, and allowing the Agreements to be filed on the public docket will result in substantial and irreparable harm to AEW’s and Petitioner Khan’s business, which harm cannot be reduced or eliminated through any other reasonable means. Moreover, redaction, or any other means, will not cure the harm that Petitioners stand to suffer if the terms of AEW’s confidential business relationships become accessible by its competitors.”
AEW’s motion suggests that if the contracts are made public, it could set a precedent for revealing internal business dealings that could weaken their position in the competitive wrestling market.
At this point, the legal battle remains ongoing, with no clear resolution in sight. More details are expected to emerge as AEW continues its push for arbitration over a public court case.
